Jersey Mike

There’s been a lot of talk about who’s going to be a shoe-in for council and who’s got the least chance of winning their way into one of most important election cycles in the past decade for the City of Harrisburg.

So, here’s an unofficial poll- the Jersey Mike City Council Poll-

Sure, it’s not scientific.

And it may possibly be skewed from the concentration of my readers.

But it’s something to look at.

Pick four. Be honest. Try to vote only once.

Perhaps it’s my own delusions of grandeur, but I feel compelled to write this piece regarding the upcoming City Council/Mayoral Elections.

You see, about two years ago, I danced around the idea of throwing my hat in the ring and making a run for a seat on Harrisburg City Council, but decided that, at the time, I just wasn’t ready to make that commitment.

Instead, I dedicated much of my time in the months and weeks leading up to the primary (and subsuquently, the election) to campaigning hard for Susan Brown-Wilson, Gloria Martn-Roberts and Kia Hansard. Ultimately, it came out as two-outta-three-ain’t-bad and we retained Wilson and Roberts and accepted Brad in the third elected position.

And about six months ago, I started kicking around the idea of taking a run at a council seat for this coming election.

I’ve grown to fully understand how our local council is run and absolutely believe that I can be a valuable, driving force with a seat on Harrisburg’s City Council. I understand that the only effective Council is one which communicates openly and respectfully with one another. A council that may disagree on certain items, but is level-headed and clear-thinking enough to make intelligent and progressive decisions.

And I know that the communication amongst our current city council is strained, at best and has fully melted down, at worst.

I genuinely believe that a strong, unified City Council can make all the difference in the world when it comes to the general well being of our city and I also believe that with the right people in charge, we can affect proactive change in the political, social, and general safety landscape of our City.

But this coming November, I won’t be running for Harrisburg City Council.

And it has nothing to do with confidence or ability. I’m certain that I’d muster enough support to make a splash and recalling council members of yesterday…if Vera White could be a city council president, I’m sure I’d make a pretty good Parks and Rec committee member.

However, now isn’t the right time for me to run.

I’ve got too many irons in the fire right now- and don’t feel that I’d be able to give 100% of my resources to the job. Either that or it would overtake and trump everything else I’ve been working on. And I’m not ready to quit rock and roll just yet. (Plus, I don’t want to wear a suit)

So in the coming weeks, we’l begin talking about the candidates who are running. (I know several of them personally; and have yet to learn about a few more.)

We’re going to see some surprising announcements before the first of the year regarding this upcoming race.

And I’ll be sure to offer my suggestions on who I believe will be our best bets to lead this city in the right direction over the next four years.

Stay tuned, Harrisburg. It’s gonna be a fun year.

Ready yourselves for the propoganda war which is about to begin.

(Yeah, I know. That sentence sounds mighty Darnell-esque. But seriously- enough is enough. We should all know by now that the ones touted as the “Reed Team” are the ones to avoid next fall.)